Border Closure: You’re Responsible For Nigeria’s Economic Woes – Melaye Fires Buhari

The Director of Public Affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dino Melaye, has said President Muhammadu Buhari is responsible for the economic woes facing the country.

In a statement on Sunday, Melaye said the closure of the country’s land borders in 2019 by President Buhari worsened the country’s economic woes.

The PDP chieftain also stated that the closure of the land borders cost Nigeria its place as the leading power in West Africa and in Africa in general.

Melaye was reacting to a statement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, that Atiku would reverse the efforts made by the Buhari administration to attain self-sufficiency in rice production.

The former Kogi lawmaker described the closure of the borders as a scam and a failed policy, adding that the price of rice skyrocketed during the period and insecurity also worsened.

The statement reads: “Against the backdrop of the rising price of rice, coupled with unmitigated insecurity, the ever-conscious and discerning Nigerians have found out that the closure of Nigeria’s land borders by Buhari and the APC administration was a scam and a failed policy, the lying dexterity of Lai Mohammed, Buhari’s Minister of information notwithstanding.

“One of the touted gains of the border closure, according to APC, is the phantom rice revolution arising from containing smuggling of imported rice through border closure. Curious Nigerians are, however, wondering why rice is now more expensive and unaffordable during and after the border closure.

“Nigerians are also feeling scammed because insecurity and arms smuggling that was part of the justifications for border control has become so intractable that Katsina State, including President Buhari’s community, has become the kingdom of bandits.

“It is tactless of Lai Mohammed and APC to be contending with His Excellency Atiku Abubakar on issues of border management and control, an area in which the presidential candidate of PDP exudes exceptional competence. It is painful that rather than bow in contrition over the abundant and abysmal policy failures of his Party and administration, the tepid counterpoise of Lai Mohammed is to categorise His Excellency Atiku Abubakar as ‘inordinately ambitious’.”

Melaye said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)  has failed to heed the counsel of Atiku on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited and other key socio-economic issues

The Kogi lawmaker, however, stated that only the PDP and its presidential flagbearer can bail Nigeria out of its current challenges.

He added: “It was the same sniding that has kept the APC rolling rapidly on the course of administrative perdition, as it failed to heed the counsel of Atiku on NNPC and other key socio-economic issues. Only the PDP and Atiku can bail Nigeria out of its current habitation in intensive care.

“Nigerians are not fooled or oblivious to recall the hardship, loss of market dominance in West Africa, and the stifling of the operations of Nigerian industries while the border closure lasted. Such was the negative consequence that a Committee under the Buhari administration advised it against the counterproductive effect of a badly conceived and ignorantly implemented policy.

“If the policy worked, why were the critical land borders re-opened? It reflects a lack of creativity, poor imagination, idleness, and indiscretion to attack His Excellency Atiku Abubakar for saying that his administration would keep the borders open as a benefit of the hard lessons that the Buhari administration learned through its characteristic error of judgement.

“The Atiku Campaign Structure is not only happy that the Katsina outing provoked restlessness in the APC, but that it offered our Presidential Candidate the opportunity to enunciate policies that showed the light out of the darkness and reversal to the stone age that APC has cast Nigeria in the last seven and a half years. Truly the message hit the right chords.”

Melaye asserted that all regional trade treaties will be pursued with efficiency and implemented for National and regional advantages if Atiku becomes the President in 2023.

He added: “Nigerians are assured that under the leadership of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, all regional trade treaties will be pursued with efficiency. In this regard, both the African Continental Free Trade Area( AfCFTA) and the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme ( ETLS) will be implemented for National and regional advantages. The border management agencies will also be equipped with appropriate technological tools and hardware, to contain smuggling, illegal immigration, and arms trafficking.

“Now that Atiku Abubakar’s Katsina outing has jolted Alhaji Lai Mohammed back to consciousness and stirred him out of his hibernation, he can again safely revert to his recklessness, maintaining the dictum that silence is golden”.